Our baby bag is like a swiss army knife of parenting gear; it has everything for every possible eventuality and it goes everywhere with us. It’s contents are different now than when Amelia was younger as her needs change but I try to cram in all the essentials everytime we go out.
I thought I would share what we carry in our bag and what I deem to be essentials; they’re probably not but you know that one time you decide not to take something…
Food, all the food in the whole world even if we’re going somewhere that has food. Just in case! I used to feel like this about nappies and be paranoid about having so many with me just in case we needed them but now it’s definitely more about how many snacks and emergency meals can I cram in the bag.
If I know we’re going to be using the pram for a while or taking a longer car journey I try to give her snacks that take her a while to eat; like Ella’s Kitchen or Organix crisps and boxes of raisins because they will keep her occupied for about 10 minutes.
I still use a cover all bib when she had her dinner, although she’s much better with her food and using cutlery I hate the idea of her spilling on her nice clothes and it not washing out. Why does everything for kids have tomato in it and it stains everything it touches! So a bib is always in her bag that way I can’t forget it. The bib we have is by Bumkin and we bought it from John Lewis, it’s been in the wash and dryer more times than I can count and is still in perfect condition.
I just picked up these little Nuby snack pots from the Aldi baby event and they’re brilliant; they have a silicone top so your child can put their hand in to retrieve food but if they were to drop the pout (or throw it) the food will stay inside and not be ruined. Genius!
Oh, British weather and its inability to decide which season we’re having on any given day. I find it so annoying not knowing whether to pack for sunshine, rain or wind and so I end up packing for all of it just in case. Luckily this raincoat (similar style here) is so light that it folds up super small inside her bag and the sun hat and mini suncream will fit in a side pocket so they don’t take up much room but I’d hate to be unprepared if and when the weather turns.
The second most important group of items behind the food is the changing gear and spare clothes. Never ever leave the house with some emergency change of clothes and at least one spare nappy. To keep it easier when we’re out in busy places I have it all stored in my amazing mama bag from Evie Michelle. This way I don’t have to rummage through my backpack for her nappies and I can just take this smaller bag to the changing facilities without having too much to carry.
As a general rule for spare clothes, we always carry; vest, short sleeves t-shirt, long sleeved top and trousers. If Amelia is having a bad tummy and is likely to need more spare clothes then I double up because you only ever get caught out once as a parent.
The last things we carry are some toys, normally I pack these if we’re going to someone’s house or out for dinner because whilst Amelia will entertain herself with snacks and chatting to us it’s not enough to keep her busy the whole time. I try to take things that aren’t too noisy and that she can play with at the table or on the floor.
Normally I’ll pack a book, something to play with like the Vtech torch and Toot Toot Tiger and just pray that it is enough to keep her happy and stop her kicking off from boredom.
I also always make sure we never leave the house without Amelia’s two comfort toys; her teddy Millie and her bunny blanket from Little Blue Nest. They’re normally both in the car or in the pram with her but if she’s busy playing or we’re having dinner then they get stored away in the bag so they don’t get lost.
That’s everything that I cram in to our baby backpack; it sounds like a lot and it probably is but I’m convinced it’s all necessary so I’ll continue to carry it around until it no longer seems needed. What do you always have to have in your baby bag?
Rachel xx
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